Balanced splice bar for running rails



I V. C. ARMSTRONG BALANCED SPLICED BARFOR Romaine RAILS Filed July 5,1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 6 m my 6 WW 3% 5M 3M .MS HQAWQVWS A 4 a 51 a, w a14 a z gnwntoz Victor C'Jrm-sirow, I

' Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

[UNITED STATES- *PAr Nr oFFicE.

VICTOR C. ARMSTRONG, OF HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE RAILJOINT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BALANCED SPLICE BAR FOR RUNNING RAILS,

Application filed July 5,

This invention relates to the subject of.

theusual standard requirements, but whichalso have no spike slots orspike notches therein, thereby permitting the joint freely to run withthe rail without interference from the spikes and without shearingstrains on the latter. To meet all of these requirements is the problemmet by the present in- Wit theseand other objects in view which outeredge of the rail base flange. Such alvention, and the problem involvesan unusual distribution of metal in the bar to compensate for thereduction in the elastic, limit of the bar which occurs when anytruncation is made in-the foot flange or toe thereof in which the'spikeslots or notches are usually adapted for a smaller size and weight oflocated.-

v Accordingly, the present invention pro vides a splice bar having noprojecting part beyond the outer edge of the rail flange, while at thesame time having a deep and substantial spike head bearing surface,permitting spiking to the ties without restraining the rail jointfrom-movement with the rail when itfruns. At the same time the presentinvention involves a special distribution: of metal in the lower half ofthe bar which is so relatedtothe distribution of metal in the upperhalfof the bar as to substantially balance the upper and lowerhalves of thebar, particularly as to the static moment and as to the gratios. Thus,the present invention provides a practical form of bar for free runningrail and at the same time, improving the ratios of metal distribution insuch a way as to counter-act and compensate for the weakness which wouldotherwise result from makin a. bar of this kind.

1927. Serial No. 203,511.

will'readily appear to those familiar with the art the inventionconsists'in the novel structural shape of splice bar with the improvedmet-alratios herein illustrated, described and claimed; and while theinvention is necessarily susceptible of structural modification withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof, certain practicalembodiments are shown in the drawings. by way of example. In thesedrawings Figure 1 is a sectional view of a complete I rail joint forrunning rail, showing the improved balanced splice bars and the relationof the track spikes thereto.

. Figure 2 is a'half-view of arail joint showing'in full lines theimproved splice bar su-' nerposed over a conventional form of splice barhaving the usual spiking flange or toe and adapted for the same size andweight of rail; this conventional splice bar being shown in dotted linesthereby to illustrate graphically the radical metal distributionrequired to brin shave.

Figure 3 is a'view similar to Fig. 1 showing the improvementincorporated in a bar rail than that shown in Fig. 1, therebyillustrating the general range of equivalents;

g about the new'structural vided with the usual outstanding foot flangeor. toe 1 which for some railroads is required to be punched ,or slottedto provide spike openings through which the track spikes are driven.This conventional angle'form of splice bar'is well designed and has: asatis- I factory metal distribution therein, but it is" not a apted forfree running rails where track spikes are desired at the jointlocations.

That would be the fact even though the con-" ventional splice bar S ofFig; 2 had its foot flange f sheared ofi on the shear linefindicated bya to bring the flange within the teration of the conventional splice barS would greatly impair its metal distribution besides greatly reducingthe elastic limit of the bar, rendering it undesirable for the specialpurpose referred to. Meeting the problem above described the presentinvention as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings provides a structural shapefor a splice bar including its substantially vertical web portionl, anenlarged laterally widened head portion '2 and an enlarged laterallywidened foot portion 3. The metal in the web 1 of the bar is sodistributed and located as to be substantially bisected by the verticalplane of the outerside of therail'head,

thus providing a form of splice bar in which the opposite bars of thejoint havev a much less out-to-out than the out-to-out of joint bars ofthe conventional type S indicated in Fig. 2. In other words thisconstruction materially lessens the distance between the outer verticalbolting face 4 of the bar web and the web of the rail and makes itpossible to form the enlarged widened foot portion 3 of theimprovedsplice bar with a spiking 'toe 5 overlying the upperside of the railflange and having its outermost portion or edge 6 lying entirely insideof the outer edge of the rail base flange. At the same time this spikingtoe 5 is formed at its upperside with a deep spike head engaging surfacethat conforms to and is adapted to be engaged by the underside of thehead 8 of the usual track spike 9.

- In connection with the spike toe formation 5 of the improved spike barit will be observed that the said spiking toe is very materiallythickened vertically in conjunction with the inner enlarged heelprojection 10 of the foot portion 3. This heel pro jection 10 isspecially formed in conjunction with the vertically thickened spikingtoe 5 to bring about an improved metal ratio distribution. To that endthe said heel projection 10 intended to extend inwardly substantiallybeyond the vertical plane of the inner edge of'the lower fishingsurface, that is to say its surface extends inwardly and upwardly, asindicated by the line 11 to a point a where it joins-the downwardly andinwardly sloping face 12 of the bar web to form an inner heel projectionwhich is at leastas great in vertical thickness as (the spiking toe 5 asshown in Fig. 3 and pref- 4 erably of greater vertical thickness thanthe vertical thickness of the spiking toe 5 as shown in Fig. 1.

By reason of this special formation of the lower part or foot portion ofthe'splice bar the reduction in the elastic limit of the bar due tocutting off the outstanding foot flange I thereof is counteracted andcompensated for by substantially balancing the ratios of metal in theupper -and lower halves of the bar respective y above and below a middleline or axis,.which in the bar shown in Fig.1 happens to bethehorizontal neutral axis thereof. That is particularly true of thebalancing of the static moments respectively in the upper and lowerportions of the bar above and below the said middle line or axis ratios,which results in having and also a substantial balancing of the and theA the center lines of stress and the centers of gravity of the saidupper and lower portions of the bar respectively at substantially thesame distances above and below the said middle line or axis. In furtherexplanation of this phase of the invention it is here noted that thestatic moment (S) of a particular area is the product of that area-multiplied by the distance from an assumed axis of rotation to itsneutral axis parallel to the assumed axis of rotation. This'physicalproperty of a bar bears an important relation both to the moment ofinertia (I) and to the area (A) in any distribution of metal in the bar.Accordingly, the present invention utilizes the desirable feature ofhaving the ratio of metal distribution in the upper unsymmetrical partof the bar substantially equivalent to the metal distribution in thelower unsymmetrical part of the bar. This results in locating the centerline of gravity for the upper part of the bar substantiallyat the samedistance from the horizontal axis or middle line of the bar as thecenter line of gravity for thelower part of the bar is disposed belowsaid axis or middle line. In other words, the centers of gravity may beproperly disposed b a proper static arearatio obtained by dividing thestatic moment (S) of the section by, its

area (A). The inertia static obtainedby dividing the moment of inertiaof the section by its static moment/relates to a ratio of metaldistribution which provides for properly disposing the center lines ofstress in the bar respectively above and. below its neutral axis ormiddle.

From the foregoing it is thought that the a V provided -foot portionhaving a a adapted to lie entirely within the outer edge ing toe adaptedto lie entirely within the outer ed e of the rail flange, the saidwidened oot portion Having a proportional distribution of metal therein,with relation to the metal distribution of the upperunsymmetrical ortionof the bar thereby to provide a su tantial equivalence between theratios of metal distribution for the upper and lower unsymmetricalportions oi the bar.

2. An unsymmetrical splice bar section with an enlarged laterallywidened thickened spiking toe of the rail base flangeand with an innerenlarged heel projection having a. vertical thickness at least magi-illto the vertical thickness of the said sp g toe. v

3. A balanced unsymmetrical splice bar for running rails having asubstantial equivalence between the static moments of the upper andlower unsymmetrical portions thereof and provided with an enlargedlaterrlly widened foot ortion provided with a vertical thickene spikingtoe adapted to lie entirely inside of the outer edge of the 'rail baseflange and with an inner enlarged heel rejection having a verticalthickness of-at east the same as the vertical thicknessof the saidspiking toe.

In testimony whereof I hereunto. afli'x my signature.

. VICTOR C. ABMSTBQNGI

